Death by Oreo Cake

Forgive me for being gone so long, but inspiration has been a slippery beast these last few weeks. I’ve been baking, friend, believe you me! But none of the new recipes I was working on were coming out right. None of them were good enough for the blog.

Until now, that is.

Oreo cakes are nothing new. There’s something about those little chocolate wafers sandwiched with creme that are so versatile (and addicting!). It makes them a perfect ingredient when baking.

The idea for this cake came about when I couldn’t decide what kind of Oreo cake to bake, as there are so many types. Instead of choosing just one, I chose them all! Hence, Death by Oreo!

This cake is a mammoth! It’s a moist, soft, fudgey chocolate cake, and it’s layered with cookies and cream and Oreo fudge crunch fillings. It’s covered in an American buttercream and topped with whole Oreos, crushed Oreos, and tons of chocolate fudge.

Let’s all take a second to let that soak in.

The Oreo fudge crunch is what I’m most proud of about this cake. Have you ever had an ice cream cake from Dairy Queen? They have this magical layer of crunchy, chocolatey goodness, and if we’re all being honest with ourselves, it’s everyone’s favorite part.

This cake has my version of those crunchies, and I have to say, it’s pretty darn close. I think the only difference is the brands of ingredients we use. And it’s so easy! Honestly, I thought I was going to have to do way more experimenting that I did. My first trial of just crushed Oreos and hot fudge turned out to be pretty darn close!

Okay, go grab a tall glass of milk, and let’s get started on this bad boy.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease three 6-inch pans (or two 8-inch pans).
In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugars, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, sour cream and vanilla until well combined. Using a standing or handheld electric mixer, beat together the melted butter and vegetable oil until just blended, then beat in the water.

Add the dry ingredients all at once and mix together on a slow speed. Add the egg mixture, and mix again. Pour into the prepared tins.

Bake for 25-35 minutes (45-50 minutes for 8-inch pans), or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool the cakes in their pans on a wire rack for 15 minutes, and then turn the cakes out on the rack to cool completely.

Once completely cooled, level the cakes. Wrap the layers in plastic wrap and freeze for 20-30 minutes. Remove from freezer and begin stacking.

Place a layer on the base of a turntable or cake stand. Using a piping bag fitted with an extra large round tip, pipe a border of buttercream around the edges of the layer. Fill that layer with the fudge crunchies. Place another layer of cake on top of that one and press slightly to create a seal.

On that layer, pipe another buttercream edge and fill with the cookies and cream filling. Place the final layer on top, pressing gently. Coat the cakes with a thin crumb coat of the buttercream, and freeze the cake for 20-30 minutes.

Remove the cake from the freezer and ice with finished layer of buttercream, making sure to reserve some for the border.

Using the excess hot fudge, create small drips going over the edge of the cake, making sure not to let the drips run together or pool at the bottom of the cake. Pop back in the freezer for 5 minutes.

Remove the cake and fill in the top of the cake with a layer of hot fudge, and return it to the freezer for 5 minutes.

When the fudge is set, put excess buttercream in a bag fitted with a jumbo open star tip, and pipe the border. This border is an “S” border. Start by drawing an S along the edge of the cake. Inside the bottom crevice, start the top of your next S, and follow that pattern along the cake.

Top with crushed Oreos, whole Oreos and chocolate drizzle.

Frosting

Ingredients

7 sticks of unsalted butter, room temperature

8-10 cups of powdered sugar

1/4 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

In the bowl of a standing mixer, beat butter until fluffy and light. Add milk and vanilla. Slowly add powdered sugar on low speed until desired consistency is reached.

Cookies and Cream Filling

Ingredients

1 8-oz package of cream cheese, room temperature

7-8 Oreos, smashed

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup powdered sugar

Directions

Cream together vanilla extract and softened cream cheese until fully combined. Slowly add powdered sugar until fully incorporated and there are no lumps of sugar left.

In a small, sealable bag, smash the Oreo cookies until broken into small pieces. Add cookie crumbles to the cream cheese mixture and fold in.

Oreo Fudge Crunch Filling

Ingredients

8-10 Oreos, smashed

1/2 cups hot fudge

Directions

Make sure the hot fudge has cooled to room temperature before starting.

In a small, sealable bag, smash the Oreo cookies until broken into small pieces. Pour the hot fudge over the cookie pieces, and mix thoroughly. Refrigerate at least 10 minutes before using. Stir well before dishing out.

Hopefully this cake is enough to kick me out of my dry spell. Delicious dealings, friends!